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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fall — the season
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mate — to breed
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — hurry
  14. kick — in football
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. branch — a division
  21. row — a line
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com